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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111920">Cheat Sheet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctagonsRule/pseuds/OctagonsRule'>OctagonsRule</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Paper Mario (Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>I've had this idea on and off for weeks and today's the day I finally do remotely anything with it, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:47:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctagonsRule/pseuds/OctagonsRule</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luigi realizes just too late that he's been goaded into a one-on-one with one of the Count's strongest minions, and though his odds seem slim he realizes that if he's fighting a bad guy, its not as though he has to follow the rules.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cheat Sheet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luigi knew the moment the jester had made a dodgeball comment that he had taken on a job made for two, not one. And not unlike those pest catcher days, he had to keep on his toes as rapidly most of the floor became something he needed to avoid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bright magic flashed and flared from the cackling jester, like he was some kind of sparkler on the side of his main job of being a JERK.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Luigi truly put forth his best effort to fight back.  . but when he’d gotten in close for an attack and missed, if he hadn’t tucked and rolled Dimentio would have hit him point blank with a FULL attack. The static in the air and heat still on his back got the point across precisely what stakes he was playing for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Luigi didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>play</span>
  </em>
  <span> losing odds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Out of experience with being trapped in confrontation rooms, he assumed the door out was locked with the key of victory being his only shot. . . Well if he was going to play </span>
  <span>fair</span>
  <span> it may have been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dodging and taking the risk of standing still for a deep breath in and out, Luigi took off into a dash from the entrance he’d lingered at throughout the battle. With Dimentio in the air like a twisted balloon, he had to worry about neither legs nor tail and for that he offered a silent thanks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mario had given him an explanation a few times, but Luigi felt the need to run nonetheless, to force his nerves to steel as much as they could, his mind to focus and his time given limit so distraction had no room to weed its way in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Remember what he said don’t think of anything else’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dimentio’s consistent laughter was interrupted by words, and though he was only a short distance away it hardly registered to Luigi’s ears. He kept his gaze locked on the door, making an effort  to keep pace when an attack nearly hit him in the knee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Nothing else, no one else, there isn’t anything but what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The exit was drawing close far too quickly, Luigi was faster than his brother and from the seating Dimentio had the fool of fools was going to ram into the useless door for no reason at all. He held back on launching a spell, laughing in anticipation of the impact with a particularly wide smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Light as a leaf, flat as a page, light as a leaf </span>
  <em>
    <span>flat</span>
  </em>
  <span> as a page, light as a leaf </span>
  <b>
    <em>flat</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> as a-!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within an instant, Luigi seemed to vanish. Dimentio, stunned and in disbelief, looked around the room, turning his gaze from the spot to miss a razor-thin picture of Luigi mid-jump, fist in the air, turn and come clearly into view for a moment. The next, it fell into a swoop at the ground, fitting under the door with a faint rustle.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Mario, who’d been refusing to leave and pounding ineffectively at the barricade from his end, jumped back in surprise when he felt something tap his shoe. Spotting the green he got to his knees without hesitation, yanking the paper entirely to his side in less than a second. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before it could even settle back onto the black stone floor, this time with a VERY distinct </span>
  <em>
    <span>pop!</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Luigi reentered the third dimension by falling into the red hatted hero’s hugging arms. They exchanged relieved embraces, Luigi feeling cold and shaking from the strain of becoming so compressed while Mario felt like an oven from his stress and weighed by the guilt of falling for a trap like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tippi, darling that she was, fluttered about the brothers in confusion and offered quiet condolences until she noted the way the door was starting to bend and buckle. “I hate to break this up but we NEED to keep moving! Dimentio’s figured out whatever you did and he isn’t going to play nice so come ON!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bros helped one another to a stand, exchanging a nod before running down the hall in haste. Making it out of sight right as they heard the door give way with a cacophony of oddly phrased simile threats, Luigi elbowed his only family lightly with a grin unfitting for the danger they could still be in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boy, we sure got a way of’ah picking them, ey Mario?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luigi could feel the last chills be shooed away by the sound of Mario’s sincere laughter, finding himself joining in as they barreled on ahead with hardly a plan or need of one, so long as they fought together, side by side.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thinking about all the jokes made in the Paper-series of the Mario franchise this one just wouldn't leave me be. Hope it was a fun read!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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